Category: Blog

Navigating healthcare benefits and wellness perks can be tricky. Often the details are quite specific and involve websites or pamphlets than need to be studied to know what’s available to you. Flex Spending is one area that is often asked about, but under-utilized. It’s a great of an opportunity to save on necessary healthcare services and items.

Flex Spending Accounts (FSA) are a popular feature with many healthcare plans. How an FSA works is that money from each paycheck gets deposited automatically into your flex account. This money is then saved for you and you are able to use it to pay for healthcare expenses not covered by your medical plan. You pick what amount of money you want diverted into the account, and the advantage is that the funds you add to this account come out of your paycheck tax-free.

Your FSA can help pay for necessary eye care. Use flex spending money for prescription glasses, prescription sunglasses, or contact lenses. FSAs can cover things like routine eye exams, co-payments, deductibles, and more.

Employers often encourage employees to take advantage of these accounts because of the tax savings, and because it promotes thoughtful spending on health and wellness products and services to improve your quality of life. The downside? These accounts are on a “use it or lose it” basis and don’t usually roll over after a year. Don’t wait until the last minute to take advantage of flex spending!

So how do you take advantage of your FSA? First, read any literature you may have from your employer regarding the terms of flex spending, guidelines and suggestions for how to use it. Make sure you know how much you are putting into your account and consider price-checking to see what you will spend during the year so that you know how much to divert into the FSA each month. Once you know how to use your flex spending, make an appointment to see your eye care professional and get a yearly exam and eyewear. You may also want to discuss pricing with the provider so that you know what to expect for payment. Once you’ve had your exam and received your eyewear, keep your receipts and any necessary paperwork either to submit for coverage or to have for your records.

Some other things to know: there are accounts similar to FSAs that are a little different. Health Savings Accounts for example are similar to an FSA in that you divert tax-free money from your paycheck into the account and use it on healthcare purchases, but these funds are not lost year-to-year. HSA funds accrue over time. They apply to the same sorts of purchases included prescription eyeglasses or sunglasses and contact lenses, so check to see what options are available to you.

Speak to an eye care professional today to learn more about how to use flex spending on necessary eye care.

Probably everyone has had that feeling: ahh, my eye is twitching. You never know how to make it stop, how long it will keep going, or why it’s happening. The truth is that eyelid and eye twitching and spasms are pretty common, and no cause for alarm, but still somewhat of a mystery!

Usually it’s the bottom lid of your eye that twitches when you get that weird feeling. Most people report that a random eye twitch will come and go, but some cases have been reported as lasting weeks or even months! The medical term for it is myokymia.

What triggers eye twitches?

• Stress
• Being tired
• Strained eyes
• Caffeine
• Alcohol
• Dry eyes
• Nutritional deficiencies
• Allergies

Generally the condition is not serious, and is not an indication of any greater issues. The problem is that it’s not easy to treat when you don’t know the cause. The afflicted person usually needs to investigate their habits and get to the root cause so that they can avoid that trigger.

If you find that your trigger is strained eyes, make sure to see an eye care professional as soon as possible so that you can update your prescription. If your prescription is up to date or you don’t need one, it could be strain from looking at a computer screen for extended periods. In this case, you can still benefit from seeing an eye care professional and discussing special computer glasses to help you relieve the stress on your eyes.

Of course, if you’re stressed or tired in general, an eye care professional probably can’t do much for you. Make sure that you’re getting enough restful sleep, take an afternoon nap if you find that you hit the afternoon slump hard, and go to bed early to get more sleep. Talk to your physician if you’re getting enough sleep on a good bed and still feeling fatigued.

Drinking too much caffeine every day? It might be another facet of your stressed-out life that can exacerbate your eye-twitching problem. It’s tempting to partake in another caffeinated beverage mid-afternoon when you’re busy and can’t nap to perk back up. Building up more and more caffeine, however, can be a real problem and can lead to eye spasms that will hurt your productivity and be a big annoyance.

How can allergies make your eyes twitchy? Well, some experts think that the histamine that is released into your eye tissues when you rub your eyes can actually cause the lid to twitch. Since allergies make your eyes itchy and you rub them, that might be causing your eyelids to twitch as well.

Cramping and muscle spasms in all parts of your body can be caused by electrolyte imbalances. It’s one of the reasons that athletes opt for sports drinks over water. Sweat carries electrolytes out of your body, so they need to be replaced to make sure your brain and muscles function properly. If you have been sweating heavily or have a nutritional or other health issue, you may be low on electrolytes. See your physician if you think you may have a condition causing you to have low electrolytes.

The takeaway from this is that there’s no cause for concern, but that doesn’t mean it’s not annoying! The occasional eye twitch is nothing to investigate, but persistent twitches will certainly be irritating enough to warrant a look at your habits and possibly making some healthy changes.

Just as sports officials are becoming more concerned with overall physical safety for athletes, more people are wearing specialized eyewear to protect their eyes and give them protection and sharp vision while performing their sport. Specialty eyewear options are available and tailored to just about every sport. All you have to do is know your sporting needs and talk to an eye care professional to discuss your options. It’s nice to know what to expect and what you can get other than just wearing contact lenses.

Here are some of the most common options and things to consider for glasses, goggles, or other specialty eyewear with unique capabilities to increase your sporting performance.

Darkened/tinted or photochromic lenses. Is your sport outdoors? Protection from bright sunlight and UV rays is crucial! Watersports and winter sports involve glares coming up from the snow or water. The bright light is damaging to your eyes and very uncomfortable if you’re not protected. Certain color tints can also help make sports glasses more functional. Golf glasses, for example, often use a copper or amber color that improves the contrast of grass and sky so you can read the course better. Make sure that you invest in glasses that will fit your outdoor setting.

Fitting with other gear. Eyewear for activities like motorsports, cycling, or football will need to fit with headgear. Be sure to test your eyewear with your uniform or additional gear, and talk to your eye care professional about the other items you’ll be wearing along with your eyewear.

Durability. In sports like racquetball, or really any sport with objects that are swung or flung around, you face the risk of getting hit and injuring your eyes if they’re not protected. This also means that your glasses or goggles are likely to take a beating while protecting your eyes. Scratch-resistance and high-impact polycarbonate materials are often used in sports eyewear to be sure that they will have a long life and will be able to shield your eyes from harm.

Considerations for contact lenses. Those who wear contact lenses and will be doing their sport in the elements can benefit greatly from glasses that wrap around the face. Protection from wind and debris will ensure that no irritants enter the eye and affect your contact lenses.

Protection from other substances. Watersports may come to mind when you think of goggles that protect your eyes from liquid, but there are other sports like paintball that could greatly damage the eyes if not protected. Specialty masks with breathable vents that allow air in will be sure to keep paint out. Goggles for watersports have similar features to keep water out of your eyes so you can see clearly under the water or above.

Polarized lenses. Probably the most important aspect of eyewear for fishing is polarization. Polarized lenses make it possible to see under the surface of the water because the lenses are specially made to cut down refracted light. Once the sunlight bouncing off the water is minimized, it’s far easier to see into the water and read important fishing features like vegetation, depth, underwater landscape, and even fish! Other water and winter sports can benefit from polarization as well to prevent the eyes from glaring sunlight.

Make sure that you’re prepared for your sport with protective gear and the right eyewear to keep your eyes on the prize. See an eye care professional to give your eyes a sporting chance!

People are always touting the benefits and the risks of social media, videogames, television, and other screen activities. It’s common to hear about someone giving up social media for a period of time just to see if they are able to kick what they consider an ‘addiction.’ New Year’s resolutions are often to read more and spend less time at a computer or on a smartphone. These may seem like grown-up problems, but adults and teens aren’t the only demographics spending a large part of their daily routine behind a screen. Children barely old enough to move a mouse are using computers and devices for recreation and learning every day.

In 2009, kids in grades 7–12 reported spending an average of more than 90 minutes a day just sending or receiving texts on cell phones. In 2011, 50% of children under eight-years-old reported having access to a mobile device like a smartphone or tablet. Children under two watch 53 minutes a day of television.

Should all screen time and computer usage be cause for concern? Not quite. Consider this: studies have found that children who use a computer at school and at home perform better on tests of school readiness, visual motor skills, gross motor, and cognitive development. This positive effect seems to diminish if you look at children’s screen time beyond physician-recommended daily limits, however. Excessive screen time does not help children learn, and overuse has been shown to put children at risk for vision problems.

Children aged 8–18 reported in 2009 that they spent more than seven hours a day devoted to “entertainment media” including computers and videogames. That makes screen time a full-time job! Pediatric eye doctors are warning parents that this sort of heavy screen time is putting children at risk for early nearsightedness, among other possible issues.

According to the National Eye Institute, over the past 30 years the prevalence of nearsightedness has increased from 25 percent to over 41 percent. This is an increase of more than 66 percent. No one can be certain if this increase is caused by screen time, but many professionals are concerned that there may be a connection.

The longer children are exposed to a computer screen, the greater their risk is for developing computer vision syndrome. Computer vision syndrome is the term used to describe problems associated with focusing on an electronic display for excessive, uninterrupted amounts of time. The risk is increased because children’s eyes are not as well-developed as adults. It’s easier for children to experience these problems because they often lose track of time, are assigned lots of homework to do on the computer, or may not realize that they should be taking frequent breaks. Additionally, children are notorious for sitting very close to screens even if they have perfect vision—a position that strains the eyes and the rest of the body.

Parents should pay careful attention to how long a child spends with electronics. Set limits and help them develop good habits for how to use their devices. Talk to your eye care professional to discuss your child’s media habits and determine if you should change how they interact with electronics for optimal eye health.